Career and Education Opportunities for Garment Patternmakers in Alabama

Alabama has a population of 4,708,708, which has grown by 5.88% over the past decade. Nicknamed the "Heart of Dixie," its capital is Montgomery, though its biggest city is Birmingham.

There are currently 150 working garment patternmakers in Alabama; this should shrink 35% to about 100 working garment patternmakers in the state by 2016. This is not quite as good as the nation as a whole, where employment opportunities for garment patternmakers are expected to shrink by about 27.2%. In general, garment patternmakers draw and construct sets of precision master fabric patterns or layouts.

Garment patternmakers earn approximately $13 per hour or $28,640 annually on average in Alabama. Nationally they average about $18 per hour or $37,760 per year. Compared with people working in the overall category of Fabric and Leather , people working as garment patternmakers in Alabama earn more. They earn more than people working in the overall category of Fabric and Leather nationally.

In 2008, there were a total of 2,640,717 jobs in Alabama. The average annual income was $33,655 in 2008, up from $32,803 in 2007. The unemployment rate in Alabama was 10.1% in 2009, which has grown by 4.9% since the previous year. Roughly 19.0% of Alabama residents have college degrees, which is lower than the national average.

The top industries in Alabama include manufacturing magnetic media, asphalt shingle materials manufacturing, and perishable prepared food manufacturing. Notable tourist destinations include the McWane Center, the Southern Museum of Flight, and the Samuel Ullman Museum.

LOCATION INFORMATION: Alabama

Alabama photo by Melinda Shelton

Alabama has a population of 4,708,708, which has grown by 5.88% over the past 10 years. Nicknamed the "Heart of Dixie," its capital is Montgomery, though its most populous city is Birmingham. In 2008, there were a total of 2,640,717 jobs in Alabama. The average annual income was $33,655 in 2008, up from $32,803 the previous year. The unemployment rate in Alabama was 10.1% in 2009, which has grown by 4.9% since the previous year. Approximately 19.0% of Alabama residents have college degrees, which is lower than the national average.

The top industries in Alabama include manufacturing magnetic media, asphalt shingle materials manufacturing, and perishable prepared food manufacturing. Notable tourist destinations include the Alan's Discount Music, the The Hip Hop Museum of Art, and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.